EscoffiersKNightmare
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- Aug 12, 2014
- Messages
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Help I'm already being swallowed in.... :IMOK:
So I filled out the "Which knife should I buy" questionnaire. Hope it's not too difficult to read!
LOCATION
What country are you in?
United States
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in?
A Gyuto and a Petty but the petty might have to wait a couple more weeks until my next paycheck.
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed.
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Never tried a Wa handle. Not necessarily opposed to it though. Lets just say Western for the Gyuto and Japanese for the Petty.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
Gyuto- 240 or 270 mm (Ive used a 10 inch German style primarily).
Petty- 150 or 165 mm.
Do you require a stainless knife?
Preferably for the Gyuto since Im worried about keeping it clean and dry during the dinner rush. Id be open to trying Carbon on the Petty.
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Around $250 for the Gyuto, $150 for the Petty. Definitely no more than $400 for the both.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Professional kitchen as well as culinary school.
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for?
Fruit and veggie slicing, chopping, mincing etc. Slicing and trimming meats, filleting fish, cutting down poultry. Basically all purpose kitchen tasks with gyuto and the petty to fill in the gaps (such as brunoised shallots!) and more detailed knife work.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Cheap Mercer 10 chefs knife. Also potentially my boning knife.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use?
Mostly pinch grip. Very occasionally use the point if it feels most natural for the particular task.
What cutting motions do you primarily use?
Not really sure exactly. I would guess I most often use rocking and walking, but its hard for me to differentiate between slicing, draw cut and push cut from the written descriptions.
What improvements do you want from your current knife?
Razor sharp edge, handle should be wood not synthetic and be comfortable and not too boxy (my hands are on the smaller side). Id likely get any knife professionally sharpened to begin with so OOTB sharpness isnt a huge concern but ease of sharpening would be as I am a complete novice about sharpening but would embrace the challenge. Less wedging and food stickage would be a given if Im going to drop a significant chunk of money on some Japanese knives! Aesthetics are secondary but a hammered, Kurouchi or otherwise rustic type finishes would be a nice touch and could decide an otherwise toss up decision.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board?
Yes. (Didnt know there were any other type of cutting boards out there!) In case this was supposed to be a more specific cutting board my work and school use plastic/rubber.
Do you sharpen your own knives?
No.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives?
YES
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives?
Yes.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Im also deciding between the Tojiro ITK and Mac Superior bread knife. On one hand the Tojiro is about $30 cheaper but a local knife store sells the Mac so I could actually hold that knife in person.
There are a lot of Japanese knives out there and the more research I do the more overwhelming it seems to become! Especially when it comes to all the different steels and their characteristics and balancing the trade offs and benefits of each as well as other factors such as taper, weight, hardness and finish/thinness. Hopefully I have provided enough information for someone with more knowledge than me to be able to steer me in the right direction. If anyone has more specific questions Id be happy to answer them! Thanks for any help you guys can give me!
So I filled out the "Which knife should I buy" questionnaire. Hope it's not too difficult to read!
LOCATION
What country are you in?
United States
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in?
A Gyuto and a Petty but the petty might have to wait a couple more weeks until my next paycheck.
Are you right or left handed?
Right handed.
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Never tried a Wa handle. Not necessarily opposed to it though. Lets just say Western for the Gyuto and Japanese for the Petty.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
Gyuto- 240 or 270 mm (Ive used a 10 inch German style primarily).
Petty- 150 or 165 mm.
Do you require a stainless knife?
Preferably for the Gyuto since Im worried about keeping it clean and dry during the dinner rush. Id be open to trying Carbon on the Petty.
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Around $250 for the Gyuto, $150 for the Petty. Definitely no more than $400 for the both.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Professional kitchen as well as culinary school.
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for?
Fruit and veggie slicing, chopping, mincing etc. Slicing and trimming meats, filleting fish, cutting down poultry. Basically all purpose kitchen tasks with gyuto and the petty to fill in the gaps (such as brunoised shallots!) and more detailed knife work.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Cheap Mercer 10 chefs knife. Also potentially my boning knife.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use?
Mostly pinch grip. Very occasionally use the point if it feels most natural for the particular task.
What cutting motions do you primarily use?
Not really sure exactly. I would guess I most often use rocking and walking, but its hard for me to differentiate between slicing, draw cut and push cut from the written descriptions.
What improvements do you want from your current knife?
Razor sharp edge, handle should be wood not synthetic and be comfortable and not too boxy (my hands are on the smaller side). Id likely get any knife professionally sharpened to begin with so OOTB sharpness isnt a huge concern but ease of sharpening would be as I am a complete novice about sharpening but would embrace the challenge. Less wedging and food stickage would be a given if Im going to drop a significant chunk of money on some Japanese knives! Aesthetics are secondary but a hammered, Kurouchi or otherwise rustic type finishes would be a nice touch and could decide an otherwise toss up decision.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board?
Yes. (Didnt know there were any other type of cutting boards out there!) In case this was supposed to be a more specific cutting board my work and school use plastic/rubber.
Do you sharpen your own knives?
No.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives?
YES
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives?
Yes.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Im also deciding between the Tojiro ITK and Mac Superior bread knife. On one hand the Tojiro is about $30 cheaper but a local knife store sells the Mac so I could actually hold that knife in person.
There are a lot of Japanese knives out there and the more research I do the more overwhelming it seems to become! Especially when it comes to all the different steels and their characteristics and balancing the trade offs and benefits of each as well as other factors such as taper, weight, hardness and finish/thinness. Hopefully I have provided enough information for someone with more knowledge than me to be able to steer me in the right direction. If anyone has more specific questions Id be happy to answer them! Thanks for any help you guys can give me!
